Former Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Harrison Bader reportedly agreed to a two-year, $20.5 million contract with the San Francisco Giants earlier this week. A portion of the Phillies fan base wanted the franchise to re-sign Bader, considering the success he had with them in the second half last year.
The front office addressed its concerns in right field by signing Adolis García back in December. They were open to re-signing Bader, and he wanted to return, but it was far from a guarantee. It looked less likely he'd be back with the Phillies the longer the offseason progressed. Now that Bader is no longer a free agent, some fans aren't pleased that the organization decided to add García over Bader and are overreacting accordingly.
Phillies fans are overreacting with Adolis García-Harrison Bader comparisons
According to an X post (formerly Twitter) by SleeperPhillies, Bader is viewed as a superior outfielder to García. Bader had a better year than García in 2025. However, there isn't quite a gap between the two players talent-wise as the post suggests.
"Adolis Garcia is NOT the same player Harrison Bader is. How much did Dave Dombrowski give Garcia? The same as Bader… That’s the reason this team won’t win," SleeperPhillies writes.
If the Phillies had signed Bader instead of García, they would still have outfield concerns, specifically in right field, with the team expected to cut ties with Nick Castellanos before the regular season. Would they have started Bader in right field? He can play the position but has played primarily in center field during his MLB career.
Philadelphia could have added García and re-signed Bader to give the organization two experienced outfielders to increase its depth, rather than choosing between them.
Bader isn't much of a power hitter; he finished with a career-best 17 home runs in 2025. García only had 19 homers a year ago, but he hit a career high of 39 in 2023. García is likely to strike out more than Bader but will compile more home runs and RBIs.
Bader stood out from the rest of the Phillies' outfielders after they traded for him at last year's deadline. The 31-year-old had a .305/.361/.463 line with a .824 OPS in 50 games. His numbers were better with the Phillies compared to when he was with the Minnesota Twins when he hit 12 home runs with 38 RBIs and a slash line of .258/.339/.439 with a .778 OPS in 96 contests.
Despite his overall .277/.347/.449 slash line and .796 OPS, buoyed by his hot finish, Bader's a career .247 hitter with a .714 OPS. García won't hit for a high average but has more power upside if he can figure things out at the plate in 2026. He has a career .730 OPS, and that's after posting a .675 mark between 2024 and 2025.
The Phillies' outfield wouldn't have been much better off if they re-signed Bader instead of adding García. If the former Texas Rangers right fielder rebounds in 2026 from two challenging years, fans will forget all about Bader.